


please understand

by Montydragon



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, set a little bit before Jailbreak, the pearlnet can be viewed as either platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 13:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8753761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Montydragon/pseuds/Montydragon
Summary: Pearl doesn't understand why Garnet doesn't just tell him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this a little bit after Three Gems and a Baby aired, and I was mostly thinking about Garnet in the episode, especially how she acted when Steven got upset that she split up.

 

“You really should tell him.” 

 

Pearl carefully cupped her hand around her tea and allowed herself to take in the herby scent. Her gaze stayed on her leader. Garnet had a complete poker face, and she couldn’t fathom what she was thinking. The leader was silent for a few moments before she responded, “He can go a few more years without knowing.”

 

“But Garnet, he’ll be fourteen years of age in just a few months! It’s been so long. And we really can’t keep this a secret forever.” She worried the hem of her shirt between two deft fingers, looking down, but she was brought back to attention while waiting for Garnet to answer her. It appeared as though she were deep in thought.

 

She placed her tea down on the coffee table. Her voice got a little softer. “Why are you hesitant about this? It’s Steven.” She smiled. “You  _ know _ he’ll love it.”

 

Garnet stayed quiet.

 

Pearl sighed. “Tell me, what’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing’s wrong.” Garnet didn’t move from her spot at all, nor did her expression change in the slightest. The paler gem felt slightly irritated.

 

“Then why won’t you tell him that you’re a fusion? He certainly won’t mind. He’s fused on his own by now, and he’d be so excited.” She continued to fidget with her shirt, but kept her gaze focused on Garnet. She watched the fusion for any expression changes.

 

“He doesn’t have to know.” She wasn’t sure, but she wondered if Garnet’s voice had gotten just the tiniest hint quieter.

 

“Well, there’s no reason for him  _ not _ to know, either,” she answered smartly. “And what happens if you get poofed? What are you going to tell him then?”

 

She shrugged.

 

Pearl was quiet for a few moments as she thought. “Really, Garnet. He’s going to have to know sometime.” She kept watching the fusion, and finally felt what felt like relief when she saw her face change a little bit, no longer as tight-lipped. The fusion let out a tired-sounding sigh.

 

“I know that.” 

 

“Then why don’t you just tell him?” 

 

She was so confused, and as she looked at Garnet, the fusion appeared to not want to touch this subject any further. That was kind of shocking to her; Garnet loved talking about fusion, and she had memories from back during the war when she’d spend hours on end talking to her about what it felt like to be two entities merged into one. Of course, at the time, she’d never experienced anything of that sort, but that just made it all the more interesting to listen to. She didn’t have the faintest idea why Garnet wouldn’t want to talk about this, especially to Steven, who she knew the fusion loved with all her heart, and who had fused now on his own, and of course cared so much about her-

 

She stopped her train of thought, looking at Garnet slowly. Still, the fusion hadn’t moved.

 

She was careful in choosing her words. “This surely isn’t about last time, is it?”

 

Garnet was very still. 

 

Pearl blinked, beginning to understand. “Garnet…”

 

It took somebody who’d known her for millennia to notice, but Garnet fidgeted just the tiniest bit. 

 

“Garnet, he- oh, he’ll understand this time.” She stood up from the couch and took a step closer to her. Her tone grew gentler. “You don’t have to worry about that, it’s been years.”

 

“I’m not worried,” the fusion responded, and with the amount of calm in her voice, Pearl almost wasn’t sure that it wasn’t the truth. Still, she pressed on. 

 

“He’s been through so much since then, Garnet.” She leaned down a little to be eye-level with her. “He’d love this so much now.”

 

Garnet still stayed quiet, though it seemed as though she were thinking Pearl’s words over. Pearl kept her gaze hopefully, so eager for an answer. She stood by what she said completely - Steven  _ loved _ things like this, she could remember when he’d first seen Opal, and had been completely enthralled the entire time he spent with her, and again with Sugilite and Sardonyx. Fusions were so exciting to him, and really, she’d be hard-pressed to think of any other person she’d ever known more accepting and loving of  _ everything _ than Steven. Well, besides his mother, but was almost besides the point. 

 

“I’ll tell him on his birthday,” Garnet finally gave in. 

 

Pearl smiled at her. “Oh, he’ll love that.”

 

For the first time in the entire conversation, she saw Garnet smile a little, too. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
